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WRTV investigative reporter named Journalist of the Year in Indiana

WRTV investigative reporter Kara Kenney was named “Indiana Journalist of the Year“ by the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Kara was honored during the Best in Indiana Journalism awards banquet on April 27 for work including coverage of a retirement package for a Wayne Township School superintendent that included a million dollars in compensation.

As a direct result of the coverage by the Indianapolis station, state lawmakers are currently considering legislation that calls for more transparency in superintendent contracts. The judges cited her combination of digging into documents and using old fashioned shoe-leather to get the story. The judges called Kara’s work a true example of watchdog journalism.

“We’re so proud of Kara. She is a journalist’s journalist—a relentless digger, a strong writer and someone who recognizes the kinds of stories that concern our viewers. ,” said Kevin Finch, RTV6 News Director. “She’s also a good newsroom citizen who is humble about her own successes but supportive of her team.”

RTV6 was also awarded first place for “Best Newscast in Indianapolis” for RTV6 News at 11pm. This is the second Best Newscast win for the RTV6 News team in this awards season.

“RTV6 is pleased with our honors from the Society of Professional Journalists.” added Finch. ”But what drives us is serving the viewers. Getting recognized for that is a wonderful bonus—and a tribute to the hard-working staff at this station.” RTV6 also earned top honors in other categories: “Best Education Reporting” went to Rafael Sanchez, Tom Triol and Susan Batt; “Best Coverage of Minority Issues” to Trisha Shepherd, Glenn Welling and Susan Batt; and “Best TV Sports Videography” was awarded to Brad Forestal.